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Pitt Explores the Cosmos

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Whether they’re exploring the furthest reaches of the cosmos or the mind of Albert Einstein, Pitt scientists are developing a better understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe.

In the early 1990s, Pitt astronomer David Turnshek discovered the furthest known galaxy from Earth. Studying astronomy can be humbling, he says. “The question always comes up: ‘What’s the universe made out of?’ And the answer is, ‘We don’t know,’” Turnshek points out.

History and Philosophy of Science professor John Norton has been described as “the world’s preeminent scholar on the genesis of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.” For years, Norton has taught a Pitt undergraduate course, “Einstein for Everyone,” which teaches students why Einstein’s discoveries were so important. He recently collected his lecture notes in a book, available online.